With the freedom of the internet comes the discussion about what it means to have material public. It is very important that you and your students understand how to take advantage of open publishing to the web, but also how to do so safely and how to keep your content protected.This is a large topic with constant discussion, so we will simply touch on a few big points and then encourage you to continue the learning and continue the conversation. There is a digital citizen Twitter chat that occurs twice a month (2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 7:00 PM CST) using the hashtag #digcit - check it out!
Protect What is Yours
When you make your work public, you need to consider whether you want others to be able to download or make a copy of your work. If you choose the "publish to web" route, people cannot make a direct copy of the file, nor can then download it. But if you "share a link" to the public, you will want to check the box to not allow individuals to download or make a copy of the file.
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Click to view full screen[/caption]Be Careful What You Publish
This one is simple. Your personal information should remain just that; personal. Do not provide a public link or publish any documents that contain personal information about yourself or anyone else. Students should especially be made aware of this fact, as they are bombarded constantly by social media on which people routinely post personal information. It is part of the social contract of education that we help kids navigate through this new era of digital citizenship, and we first need to be good models ourselves.
Part 2 – Public Link Sharing Ideas
Sean Mullins | Instructional Technology Coach
